JP2014084121A - Sterile chamber - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sterile chamber for enclosing food equipment, which is capable of uniformly sterilizing inside the chamber while suppressing the amount of sterilization liquid to be used for sterilization treatment to a minimum.SOLUTION: A hydrophilic surface layer 14 is formed on an upper wall surface 31a, lateral wall surfaces 32a, and a bottom wall surface 33a that are sterilization object surfaces inside a chamber 130, so that the sterilization object surfaces can be uniformly sterilized while reducing a use amount of sterilization liquid. Further, the upper wall surface 31a and the bottom wall surface 33a each have a gable-shaped structure. By using the gabled shape, drying work is reduced and sterilization time is shortened.

Description

  The present invention relates to a chamber surrounding a food machine, for example a device for filling a beverage product liquid in an aseptic environment.

A rotary filling device is used as a device for filling a beverage product liquid in a food machine such as a PET bottle, a glass bottle, or a bottle can. This rotary filling device is provided with a plurality of filling valves on the outer peripheral portion of a rotating circular wheel. While the wheel is rotated almost once and the container is conveyed in the circumferential direction, the filling valve is moved into the container. Fill in. Then, after filling the beverage product liquid into the container, the cap is attached to the container by a capper (plugging machine).
When filling beverage product liquid, it is essential to prevent contamination of bacteria and the like into the container. For this reason, after sterilizing the container and cap with the sterilizing liquid, a series of beverage product liquid filling and cap mounting, etc. A so-called aseptic filling method for performing the process is employed. In this case, it is necessary to sterilize not only the container and the cap but also the environment for filling. In the aseptic filling method, a chamber surrounding the environment is formed, and sterilization is performed by injecting a sterilizing liquid into the aseptic chamber (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-179944 A

When the inside of the chamber is sterilized by spraying the sterilizing liquid, the sprayed sterilizing liquid becomes a round droplet having a small contact area on the wall surface constituting the chamber, and a portion where the sterilizing liquid does not contact is generated. For this reason, in order to uniformly sterilize the entire surface of the chamber, a large amount of sterilizing liquid sprayed from the sprinkler at each sterilization treatment is required, which increases the manufacturing cost of beverage products.
The present invention has been made based on such problems, and provides an aseptic chamber that can uniformly sterilize the chamber while minimizing the amount of sterilizing solution to be used during sterilization. The purpose is to do.

The present invention based on such an object relates to a chamber having a structure capable of reducing the amount of a sterilizing solution used during a sterilization process and uniformly sterilizing the entire inner area.
The chamber in the present invention is a chamber in which food and drink are processed in a state where the interior is in a sterile environment, and the surface to be sterilized of the chamber facing the sterile environment is subjected to a hydrophilic treatment. To do.
By hydrophilizing the surface to be sterilized, the contact area between the surface to be sterilized and the sterilizing liquid can be increased, so that the inside of the chamber can be sterilized uniformly while suppressing the amount of sterilizing liquid used. .

The chamber of the present invention includes a bottom wall, a side wall standing from the bottom wall, and an upper wall that closes the opening of the side wall. When these wall surfaces form a surface to be sterilized, the upper wall is inclined. Preferably it is.
When the upper wall is inclined, the sterilizing liquid flows down along the inclination, and the sterilizing liquid can be reliably brought into contact with the wall surface. In addition, since the risk of the sterilizing liquid remaining on the wall surface is reduced, it becomes easier to collect the sterilizing liquid, and it is possible to save the labor of drying the cleaning water used for rinsing the sterilizing liquid after the sterilizing liquid treatment. it can.
As one form in which the upper wall is inclined, the upper wall of the chamber is preferably formed in a gable shape.
By making the upper wall into a gable shape, the sterilizing liquid flows in two directions with the ridge as a boundary. Therefore, the time for the sterilizing liquid to flow along the wall surface can be shortened, so that the time for the sterilizing treatment can be shortened.

When the chamber in the present invention includes a side wall surface, the side wall surface is preferably inclined outward from the lower end portion to the upper end portion.
If the chamber has such a structure, the speed at which the sterilizing liquid flows on the side wall surface can be reduced, which is effective in ensuring the time for the sterilizing liquid to come into contact with the bacteria.

  Moreover, in this invention, when an upper wall inclines, it is preferable to provide the supply part for sterilization liquid which exudes sterilization liquid on the upper edge instead of the system which injects sterilization liquid from the conventional sprinkler. By providing the sterilizing liquid supply unit, the upper wall surface and the side wall surface can be uniformly sterilized with a smaller amount of the sterilizing liquid.

  According to the present invention, the inside of the chamber can be sterilized uniformly while minimizing the amount of sterilizing liquid to be used.

(A) shows the chamber according to the first embodiment, (b) shows the state when the water droplet is in contact with the hydrophobic surface, and (c) shows the state when the water droplet is in contact with the hydrophilic surface. The chamber concerning 2nd Embodiment is shown. The modification in 2nd Embodiment is shown. The sterilization liquid supply member concerning 3rd Embodiment is shown, (a) is for one direction inclination, (b) has shown the thing for multi-direction inclination. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an aseptic beverage filling machine.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
[First Embodiment]
In the present embodiment, a technique for reducing the amount of sterilizing liquid used by hydrophilizing the wall surface of the chamber to be sterilized will be described using the aseptic beverage filling machine 1 as an example.
As shown in FIG. 5, the aseptic beverage filling machine 1 includes a carry-in conveyor 112 for carrying the container 100 into the aseptic beverage filling machine 1, a sterilizing device 111 for sterilizing the container 100, a rinsing device 113 for rinsing the container 100, and sterilization and rinsing. A filling device 114 for filling the container 100 filled with the beverage product liquid, a capper 115 for attaching the cap 118 to the container 100 filled with the beverage product liquid, and a carry-out conveyor 116 for carrying the container 100 out of the aseptic beverage filling machine 1. Mainly prepared. A transport star wheel 117 is provided between the carry-in conveyor 112, the sterilization device 111, the rinsing device 113, the filling device 114, the capper 115, and the carry-out conveyor 116, whereby the container 100 is delivered. Yes.
In the sterilizer 111, the rinsing device 113, the filling device 114, and the capper 115, the transport path of the container 100 is provided on the base gantry 119. On the base gantry 119, the sterilizing device 111, the rinsing device 113, the filling device 114, In order to maintain the transport path of the container 100 in the capper 115 in an aseptic environment, a chamber 110 is provided to cover the side and top of the space on the base frame 119. In the present embodiment, the wall surface of the chamber 110 is hydrophilized.

The chamber 110 shown in FIG. 1 includes a chamber main body 10, a nozzle 15 for spraying a sterilizing liquid in the chamber main body 10, and a tank 17 connected to the nozzle 15 via a pipe 16. In addition, although the sterilizer 111 is provided in the chamber body 10, it is omitted in FIG. The same applies to FIG.
The chamber body 10 includes a bottom wall 13 provided on the ground surface 19, a side wall 12 standing from the bottom wall, and an upper wall 11 that closes the opening of the side wall, and the upper wall 11, the side wall 12, and the bottom wall 13 The enclosed space is an aseptic environment.
The wall surfaces (11a to 13a) facing the aseptic environment of the top wall 11, the side wall 12, and the bottom wall 13 are subjected to a hydrophilization treatment described later, and a hydrophilic surface layer 14 is formed (FIG. 1 (a)). ). Further, the chamber body 10 preferably has good workability and has corrosion resistance and chemical resistance, and it is preferable to use a metal, particularly stainless steel.

The nozzle 15 is used to spray a sterilizing liquid when sterilizing the inside of the chamber. The nozzle 15 is connected to the tank 17 via a pipe 16 and is provided in plural on the upper wall surface 11a, the side wall surface 12a, and the bottom wall surface 13a. When the sterilizing liquid is supplied from the tank 17 to the nozzle 15 through the pipe 16, the sterilizing liquid is ejected radially from the tip of the nozzle 15. When the sterilizing liquid is sprayed, the sterilizing liquid sprayed onto the upper wall surface 20a flows in the order of the upper wall surface 11a, the side wall surface 12a, and the bottom wall surface 13a, or becomes a droplet from the upper wall surface 11a to form the bottom wall surface 13c. Fall into. The sterilizing liquid sprayed on the side wall surface 12a flows through the side wall surface 12a to the bottom wall surface 13a.
In addition, the installation position and the number of nozzles 15 can be appropriately changed according to the size of the chamber. The same applies to the following.
The tank 17 supplies the sterilizing liquid to the nozzle 15 through the pipe 16. The tank 17 is provided with a pump (not shown), and the pump supplies the sterilizing liquid in the tank 17 to the nozzle 15.
As the sterilizing solution, a water-soluble sterilizing solution such as peracetic acid or hydrogen peroxide can be used.

Hereinafter, means for hydrophilizing the upper wall surface 11a, the side wall surface 12a, and the bottom wall surface 13a (hereinafter referred to as sterilization target surface) made of metal will be described.
As a method of hydrophilizing the surface to be sterilized, there is a method of forming a hydrophilic group, for example, a hydroxyl group on the surface to be sterilized. The means for forming a hydroxyl group can be selected from a chemical treatment method, a physical treatment method and a coating treatment method.
Examples of the chemical treatment method include chemical conversion treatment. Chemical conversion treatment may cause chemical reaction to occur on the metal surface to introduce a hydroxyl group or carboxyl group, which is a hydrophilic group, or to form an oxide film using an electrochemical oxidation reaction. it can.
An example of the physical treatment method is a plasma treatment method. In the plasma treatment method, a hydroxyl group or the like can be introduced on the metal surface to make the metal surface hydrophilic. In addition, corona discharge, ion beam irradiation method, and electron beam irradiation method can be used.
As a coating method, a hydrophilic polymer is applied to the metal surface as a coating agent.
As the coating agent, for example, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) can be used. PVA is a resin having a large number of hydroxyl groups, and the metal surface can be made hydrophilic by uniformly coating the metal surface with PVA. The coating agent to be used is not limited to PVA, and synthetic polymers such as polyacrylic acid and polyethylene glycol and biopolymers that are polysaccharides can be used.

Another method for hydrophilizing the surface to be sterilized is to form nano-micro order irregularities on the surface to be sterilized.
For example, in order to form fine irregularities on the surface to be sterilized, a coating liquid containing silica particles is applied to the surface to be sterilized. By applying a coating liquid containing silica particles to the metal surface, fine irregularities can be formed on the metal surface. Thereby, the surface to be sterilized can be made hydrophilic. In addition, the particle | grains contained in the coating liquid to be used are not limited to a silica particle, A titanium oxide particle etc. can be used.
Further, by spraying abrasive (particles) on the surface to be sterilized, fine irregularities can be formed on the surface to be sterilized using shot blasting, which is a method of processing the surface.
The hydrophilic index of the surface to be sterilized after the hydrophilic treatment is preferably such that the water droplet contact angle is 10 degrees or less.

Next, the effect by hydrophilizing the surface to be sterilized will be described.
When the sterilizing liquid is sprayed on the surface that has not been hydrophilized (hydrophobic), the water droplets of the sterilizing liquid contact the surface to be sterilized so as to reduce the contact area (FIG. 1B). On the other hand, when a droplet having the same volume is sprayed onto the surface subjected to the hydrophilic treatment, the droplet contacts to increase the contact area (FIG. 1C). Therefore, if the surface to be sterilized is hydrophilized, the entire surface of the surface to be sterilized can be covered with a small amount, so that the necessary amount of sterilizing liquid used can be reduced.
Furthermore, when a droplet flows on a hydrophobic surface, the droplet tends to flow so as not to contact the surface as much as possible. Due to such properties, when a droplet flows on the surface to be sterilized that has not been hydrophilized, a specific path is formed and flows. If a specific path is formed in this way, a portion where the sterilizing liquid does not come into contact is generated, and as a result, the entire surface cannot be sterilized. On the other hand, when the liquid droplets flow on the hydrophilic surface, the sterilizing liquid is not concentrated in a specific path, and thus can uniformly flow on the surface to be sterilized and sterilize uniformly.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, an example of hydrophilizing the surface to be sterilized has been described. In the present embodiment, a method for reducing the amount of sterilizing liquid used by changing the structure of the chamber body 10 will be described.
When the sterilizing liquid is sprayed into a chamber having a structure in which the upper wall surface 11a is parallel to the ground surface 19 as in the first embodiment, the droplets adhering to the upper wall surface 11a do not flow through the upper wall surface 11a, but the upper wall surface 11a. May remain as droplets. In such a case, a blow operation for drying the cleaning water used for rinsing the droplets remaining on the upper wall surface 11a is required.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the upper wall 21 and the bottom wall 23 of the chamber 120 are inclined at a certain angle. In addition, the same code | symbol as FIG. 1 is attached | subjected to the same element as 1st Embodiment, and description is abbreviate | omitted (hereinafter the same).
In the chamber 120 shown in FIG. 2A, the upper wall 21 and the bottom wall 23 are inclined in the same direction with respect to the ground 19 by an inclination angle θ <b> 1 (downward), and the side wall 22 is perpendicular to the ground 19. A chamber body 20 is provided. The inclination angle θ1 can be arbitrarily changed, and the inclination angle of the upper wall surface 21a and the inclination angle of the bottom wall surface 23a may be different.
As shown in FIG. 2A, only one nozzle 15 can be provided at the apex of the upper wall surface 21a, or it can be installed on the side wall surface 22a or the bottom wall surface 23a.

When the sterilizing liquid is sprayed from the nozzle 15 to sterilize the inside of the chamber 120, the sterilizing liquid adheres to the upper wall surface 21a, the side wall surface 22a, and the bottom wall surface 23a. The sterilizing liquid adhering to the inclined upper wall surface 21a flows in one direction along the inclination toward the side wall surface 22a on the lower inclination side. The sterilizing liquid that has flowed flows along the side wall surface 22a to the bottom wall surface 23a, and is finally collected.
In this way, by inclining the upper wall 21, it is possible to cause the liquid droplets jetted onto the upper wall surface 21 a to flow toward the one bottom wall surface 23 a. Furthermore, since the sterilizing liquid flows in one direction, the sterilizing liquid can be reliably brought into contact with the upper wall surface 21a.
Similarly, the sterilizing liquid attached to the bottom wall surface 23a is also collected after flowing along the inclination.
If the bottom wall is not inclined and is parallel to the ground 19, the sterilizing solution must be recovered from the entire bottom wall. Therefore, if the bottom wall 23 is inclined, the sterilizing liquid can be collected on the lower end side of the inclination, so that the sterilizing liquid can be easily collected as compared with the case where the bottom wall is not inclined.
As described above, since the sterilizing liquid adhering to the upper wall surface 21a can be efficiently collected by inclining the upper wall 21 and the bottom wall 23 constituting the chamber in one direction, it is possible to save the labor of the drying operation. . Furthermore, since the sterilizing liquid flows in one direction, the sterilizing liquid can be reliably brought into contact with each surface, and the sterilizing liquid can be easily collected.

  In the chamber 120 described above, the upper wall 21 and the bottom wall 23 are inclined in one direction. For example, the upper wall 31 is gable like the chamber 130 shown in FIG. Thus, it can be inclined in two directions. The same applies to the bottom wall 33.

  When the sterilizing liquid is sprayed from the nozzle 15 to sterilize the inside of the chamber 130, the sterilizing liquid adheres to the upper wall surface 31a, the side wall surface 32a, and the bottom wall surface 33a. The droplets adhering to the upper wall surface 31a flow along the inclination toward the side wall surface 32a on the lower inclination side. Thereafter, the droplet flows along the side wall surface 32a to the bottom wall surface 33a. In this case, compared with the case where the sterilizing liquid is allowed to flow in one direction, the distance that the sterilizing liquid flows through the upper wall surface 31a is shortened. Therefore, the sterilization time of the chamber 130 can be shortened.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the recovery of the sterilizing liquid remaining as droplets on the upper wall surface can be promoted by inclining the upper wall and the bottom wall constituting the chamber, the drying operation can be reduced and the sterilization time can be reduced. It can be shortened.
In the above, the example in which the upper wall is inclined in one direction (FIG. 2) and two directions (FIG. 3) has been shown. However, the upper wall may be inclined in three directions or more. Even if it is made, the same effect as described above is obtained. Moreover, this invention also includes making an upper wall into circular arc shape.

[Modification of Second Embodiment]
In the sterilization treatment, the sterilization effect is not exhibited unless the sterilization solution is in contact with the bacteria for a certain period of time. In 1st and 2nd embodiment, since the side wall surfaces 13a-33a in which the hydrophilic surface layer 14 was formed are provided perpendicularly | vertically with respect to the ground 19, the speed which the sterilizing liquid flows down a side wall surface is quick. Then, depending on the case, it is not possible to ensure sufficient time for the sterilizing solution to come into contact with the bacteria.
Therefore, by tilting the side wall as shown in FIG. 3, it is possible to delay the sterilizing liquid from flowing down the side wall surface.
In the chamber 140, the side wall 42 is inclined outward by an inclination angle θ 2 with respect to the surface perpendicular to the ground 19, and the width of the opposing side wall surfaces 42 a increases from the lower side to the upper side.
When the sterilizing liquid is sprayed from the nozzle 15 into the chamber 140 in which the side wall 42 is inclined, droplets adhere to the upper wall surface 41a, the side wall surface 42a, and the bottom wall surface 43a. Since the side wall 42 is inclined, the droplets adhering to the side wall surface 42 a reach the bottom wall surface 43 a over a longer time than when the side wall 42 is perpendicular to the ground surface 19. The speed at which this droplet flows can be adjusted by changing the tilt angle θ2. For example, if the inclination angle θ2 is increased, the speed at which the droplets flow on the side wall surface 42a becomes slower.
As described above, by inclining the side wall 42 constituting the chamber toward the outer peripheral side, it is possible to sufficiently ensure the speed at which the sterilizing liquid flows on the side wall surface 42a, in other words, the time for the sterilizing liquid to contact the bacteria.

[Third Embodiment]
In the present embodiment, a chamber capable of reducing the amount of sterilizing liquid used as compared with the first embodiment and the second embodiment will be described.
In the embodiments so far, the sterilization in the chamber has been performed by spraying the sterilizing liquid from the nozzle. In such a supply method, a part of the sprayed sterilizing liquid may be repelled without adhering to the upper wall surface or the side wall surface.
Therefore, in the third embodiment, a supplied method for preventing the sterilizing liquid from being bounced on each surface will be described with reference to FIG.
The sterilizing liquid supply unit 50 is installed outside the chamber. FIG. 4A shows an example in which the sterilizing liquid supply unit 50 is installed outside the chamber 120 described in the second embodiment.
The sterilizing liquid supply unit 50 includes a storage tank 51 that stores the sterilizing liquid, a tank 52 that supplies the sterilizing liquid to the storage tank 51 via a pipe 56, and a flow rate of the sterilizing liquid that is supplied from the tank 52 to the storage tank 51. And a control unit 58 for adjustment as main components.
The storage tank 51 stores the sterilizing liquid supplied via the pipe 56, and supplies the sterilizing liquid to the inside of the chamber 120 through the slit 55 formed at the boundary between the upper wall surface 21a and the side wall surface 22a. The slit 55 is formed at the upper end of the storage tank 51, and when the amount of sterilization liquid exceeding the position of the slit 55 (allowable amount) is supplied from the tank 52 to the storage tank 51, the sterilization liquid oozes out from the slit 55. It is configured as follows. The slit 55 is formed over the entire area of the upper wall 21 in the longitudinal direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 4).
The tank 52 is connected to the storage tank 51 via a pipe 56, and a valve 57 for adjusting the amount of sterilizing liquid flowing in the storage tank 51 is provided on the pipe 56.
The control unit 58 detects the remaining amount of the sterilizing liquid with a fuel gauge 59 provided in the storage tank 51, and opens the valve 57 if the remaining amount is insufficient, and closes the valve 57 if the remaining amount is sufficient. Send instructions.
When the sterilizing liquid supplied from the tank 52 to the storage tank 51 exceeds the allowable amount of the storage tank 51, the sterilizing liquid supply unit 50 oozes out from the slit 55, that is, from the upper edge of the upper wall 21. It flows through the wall surface 21a and the side wall surface 22a. In this way, unlike spraying, the sterilizing liquid flows through each surface to the bottom wall surface without being repelled by the upper wall surface or the side wall surface. Therefore, the inside of the chamber can be uniformly sterilized with a smaller amount of sterilizing liquid.

Further, the sterilizing liquid supply unit 70 can also be provided in the chamber 130 having a gable-like upper wall surface described in the second embodiment (FIG. 4B).
The sterilizing liquid supply unit 70 includes a storage tank 71 in the ridge that is the apex of the upper wall 31. When the amount of the sterilizing liquid stored in the storage tank 71 exceeds an allowable amount, The sterilizing liquid oozes out from the formed slit 72, that is, from the upper edge of the upper wall 21. When the sterilizing liquid oozes from the slit 72, the sterilizing liquid flows along the upper wall surface 31a. The sterilizing liquid that has flowed through the upper wall surface 31a flows along the side wall surface 32a to the bottom wall surface 33a, and the surfaces to be sterilized are sequentially sterilized.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the chamber surrounding the aseptic beverage filling machine has been described as an example. However, the apparatus installed in the chamber is not limited to the aseptic beverage filling machine, and is a machine for processing food (including filling). Widely applicable.
In the present embodiment, the upper wall surface, the side wall surface, and the bottom wall surface are the surfaces to be sterilized, but these are only examples, and the surface to be sterilized is determined by the form of the chamber.
In addition to this, as long as the gist of the present invention is not deviated, the configuration described in the above embodiment can be selected or changed to another configuration as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Aseptic beverage filling device 10, 20, 30, 40 Chamber main body 11, 21, 31, 41 Upper wall 12, 22, 32, 42 Side wall 13, 23, 33, 43 Bottom wall 11a-41a Upper wall surface 12a-42a Side wall surface 13a to 43a Bottom wall surface 14 Hydrophilic surface layer 15 Nozzle 16, 56 Piping 17, 52 Tank 19 Ground 50, 70 Disinfectant supply unit 51, 71 Storage tank 55, 72 Slit 57 Valve 58 Control unit 59 Fuel gauge 71 Storage tank DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Container 110,120,130,140 Chamber 111 Sterilization apparatus 112 Carry-in conveyor 113 Rinse apparatus 114 Filling apparatus 115 Capper 116 Carry-out conveyor 117 Conveyance star wheel 118 Cap 119 Base mount L Droplet (theta) 1, (theta) 2 Inclination angle

Claims (5)

A chamber in which food and drink are processed while the inside is in a sterile environment,
The surface to be sterilized of the chamber facing the aseptic environment has been subjected to a hydrophilic treatment,
A sterile chamber characterized in that. The chamber is
A bottom wall, a side wall standing from the bottom wall, and an upper wall closing the opening of the side wall,
When the bottom wall, the side wall, and the wall surface of the upper wall form the surface to be sterilized,
The upper wall is inclined,
The aseptic chamber according to claim 1. The upper wall is formed in a gable shape,
The aseptic chamber according to claim 2. The chamber is
A bottom wall, a side wall standing from the bottom wall, and an upper wall closing the opening of the side wall,
When the bottom wall, the side wall, and the wall surface of the upper wall form the surface to be sterilized,
The side wall surface is inclined outward from the lower end toward the upper end.
The aseptic chamber according to claim 1. From the upper end edge of the upper wall, provided with a sterilizing liquid supply section for leaching the sterilizing liquid,
The aseptic chamber according to any one of claims 2 to 4.

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